Virginia Restores Voting Rights to 66,000 Felons After Purging 6,500 Noncitizens From Voter Rolls

Shortly after Virginia removed more than 6,500 noncitizens from its voter rolls, Gov. Abigail Spanberger said she has restored voting rights for 10 times that many convicted felons in the state.

Virginia’s state constitution permanently disenfranchises convicted felons but gives the governor’s office broad discretion in restoring the rights. Spanberger announced Friday that 66,085 formerly incarcerated Virginians have had their voting rights restored since she took office in January.

“The right to vote is foundational to who we are as Americans. As a Member of Congress, as a candidate for Governor, and in the months since I took office, I have heard from many Virginians who have shared their personal stories of redemption with me — and heartfelt reflections of the moment their voting rights were restored by previous governors,” Spanberger said in a public statement.

Her announcement came after the Virginia Department of Elections released records requested by the watchdog group Judicial Watch showing 6,531 noncitizens were removed from Virginia’s voter rolls between June 2024 and June 2026. The removals mostly occurred during the administration of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The Youngkin administration also slowed the process for restoring voting rights to convicted felons.

“I’m proud that—after contending with my predecessor’s efforts to deny Virginians their fundamental rights—we have restored the rights of more than 66,000 Virginians who have served their time,” Spanberger continued. “These Virginians deserve the right to use their vote, make their voices heard, and be recognized as contributing citizens to our Commonwealth and country.”

A 2019 study examined how changes in state laws on felon voting rights affected U.S. House elections. The research concluded that the changes produced only an increase in Democratic House candidates’ vote share of 1.56 percentage points or less.

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A separate 2011 study of Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, and North Carolina—states that restored felon voting rights—similarly found people with felony convictions who are eligible to vote lean Democratic overall, but research does not show that ex-felons as a whole overwhelmingly vote Democratic. Furthermore, convicted felons had only a 22.2% turnout in the 2008 election.

“Over the past six months, our work has been guided by Governor Spanberger’s deep belief that Virginians who served their time deserve their civil rights,” said Secretary of the Commonwealth Candi Mundon King in a public statement. “That is why our team reviews every individual who has their voting rights restored, working with our law enforcement partners to make sure we get it right.”